A common type of brake used in automotive and industrial applications includes a cylindrical brake drum having internal mating brake shoes actuated usually by hydraulic cylinders to engage the internal surface of the brake drum. Typically, two segmented brake shoes are actuated radially in opposing directions. The shoes have a curved plate to match the drum surface, and the plate is welded to inward support ribs mounted to the attached mechanism.
The brake shoes each have a brake lining attached to the curved plate surface, and friction between the lining and the rotating drum provides braking force to the rotation of the drum and connected mechanism or wheel. Through repeated use, the friction and heat generated during braking wear and deteriorate the brake lining to the point where brake performance is unacceptable. In repairing the brakes of passenger vehicles the entire brake shoe and attached brake lining are generally replaced. In the case of trucks primarily and industrial machinery such as crane hoists, the worn brake lining is removed from the plate of the brake shoe and replaced with a new lining. Replaceable brake linings are attached to the brake shoe plate with rivets which must be removed and replaced during the relining operation. The rivets are generally arranged in a pattern of rows and columns projecting through the brake lining and brake shoe plate.
Conventionally, during the relining operation, rivets are removed individually using a C-shaped press having a throat into which the edges of the plate and lining project. The brake shoe is secured in a fixed position in a jig which holds the ribs, and the operator moves the C-shaped press along the plate and lining to remove individual rivets. The press has a hydraulically powered punch which extends to engage the rivet and force the rivet through the plate and lining, thereby disengaging the lining.
Different manufacturers of brake shoes use different riveting patterns, and additionally, such patterns may vary depending on shoe size. Due to the varying nature of the riveted connection of the lining, rivets are conventionally removed individually in the time consuming but flexible manner described above. Using such methods, high production and resultant economies of scale are difficult or impossible to achieve.